Honor

Today’s reading is about honoring your spouse. This one is really hard to do when you’re in a situation where you don’t feel loved or respected or honored in return. When your spouse won’t look you in the eye when you talk, they walk out of the room in the middle of a discussion, or act like it’s an inconvenience for them to acknowledge your presence, it’s hard to act as if everything they say is important and noteworthy. Unfortunately, we’re not called to act as we’ve been treated, but to act as we would like to be treated. This doesn’t mean that when we don’t get what we want out of our spouse we quit acting with honor and respect. Here’s an interesting excerpt that really hit home for me.

“Honoring your mate means giving him or her your full attention, not talking to them from behind a newspaper or with one eye on the television. When decisions are being made that affect both of you or your whole family, you give your mate’s voice and opinion equal influence in your mind. You honor what they have to say. They matter and because of the way you treat them, they should know it.”

Does your spouse feel honored? When they walk into the room do you focus your attention on them and see what they have to say, or do you treat them like another piece of furniture? Or, maybe like a vehicle that you use to take you places, but only pay attention to it’s needs when it breaks down. Today’s challenge is to choose a way to show honor and respect to your spouse. Opening a door for her, putting away clothes for him, looking at them while they speak to you, and letting them know that he or she is highly esteemed in your eyes.